


Upon Reflection

by Krisser__kris



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M, Simon's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-06-08
Updated: 2001-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-05 13:55:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/724036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krisser__kris/pseuds/Krisser__kris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simon's thoughts about his department and two certain detectives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Upon Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Mary for the beta.

**Upon Reflection**

by Krisser

 

My Major Crimes unit is running smoothly. Couldn’t always say that though.

When I was promoted, I had to take what was there. A couple of officers that were waiting for retirement, one detective that was always looking at the other cops for screw ups (Sheila Irwin finally transferred to IA) and one or two that thought being a detective was a cake walk. Then there was Jack Pendergrast, a respectable detective with questionable ethics.

My first addition was Ellison, Jim Ellison. He came over from vice. He’d been undercover too long, almost lost himself. A wild one. Teamed him with Pendergrast; both a good and bad move.

I remembered the news story. His men. His survival. I knew gut deep that he was a good man, a good cop. Just alone.

The first couple of years no one could get close. The only one with half a shot died. Jack, but that's another story.

Ellison was a loner and worked a case in his own style. He had one partner after Jack, Ferrall. Didn't last too long. Transferred to burglary, said Ellison was a walking death wish.

Ellison didn't want to die, just didn't know how to live. His marriage was short lived. Never figured that one out. Carolyn never let him nurture, and oddly enough, Jim needed to be needed and be allowed to fuss over his loved one.

That over, he seemed to withdraw into himself even more. Sure we'd go to a Jags game, but I never reached the inner Ellison.

But that all changed.

I'd like to say it was the Switchman's case or even his peculiar senses coming on line, but that wouldn't be the truth. It was Blair Sandburg, anthropologist.

Ellison had gone to the hospital to have his hearing and vision checked and that's where Sandburg found him.

From stories I’ve heard, when the Kid first saw Jim, he all but danced around the room. Then the lure of an explanation had Jim going to the university and met with Sandburg officially.

I think the change started that very day. I didn’t know it then, but looking back, I could trace the difference.

Blair Sandburg doesn’t do easy. He may want to, but the energy around him doesn’t.

The first day I met him was a wild one, Jim had brought him to my office with a request for him to ride along. A cousin. Bullshit. But still very fortuitous. Kincaid had taken over our building. Ellison and I were outside. My son and Sandburg were inside.

Later on we found out that Sandburg had taken out two of Kincaid’s men. Lied about his identity thereby taking the heat off some of the other hostages. Seems Joel Taggert backed him at the time and later sung his praises to Jim and myself.

Jim recalled hearing Sandburg claiming to have flown helicopters in the Gulf War. What a hoot, but the pilot believed it and landed the aircraft. What a first impression. Never told Sandburg though, doesn’t do to let that kind of info out and never a good move to extol too profusely.

I believe that I noticed it that day but it was months later before the significance of the actions hit me. Ellison touched the kid a lot. On the face, arm, back, little touches, nothing much. But in looking at it objectively, Ellison hadn’t touched any of the other detectives he had worked with. He hardly ever touched me and I was a friend. I watched more closely and it still took almost a year to put it together.

Ellison has heightened senses and Sandburg taught him how to control and use them to the betterment of himself and the department. That meant having Sandburg around most of the time. At first I was less than thrilled, but as time passed and I watched Blair work, I too learned the value of the exuberant man.

Taggert had been converted early on. Brown teased but grew to respect his instincts. Rafe took much longer, probably not until after the damn press conference. Connor, on the other hand, seemed to be on the Sandburg wagon from day one.

I took a long hard look at Sandburg in Peru. My son and I were stranded there and he and Jim came in and rescued us. Jim I half way expected, he is my friend after all, but Sandburg had only been with us less than a year and there he was, right behind Ellison. He jumped out of an airplane, faced drug dealers and I hadn’t even thought of him as a friend. Re-examined things after that.

I know the Kid hero worshipped his Sentinel, but it wasn’t until Ellison had been kidnapped by his old Ranger’s Colonel that I realized that what Blair felt for Jim went a whole lot deeper.

I started observing both team members, it wasn’t long after that I discovered Ellison had deep feelings for his partner. When the Kid had been stuck on the elevator that had been set up to crash or blow up, well I don’t think I had ever seen Jim so focused and the few minutes that he thought Blair dead, well there are no words to describe the look on the man’s face. I actually thought I could lose him too.

Then the unguarded joy at the news that Blair was alive left me in no doubt that Ellison felt as deeply as Blair.

It only took them two more years to figure it out for themselves.

In the meantime, none of the staff wanted to see Sandburg leave on an expedition or take a solitary vacation or even miss three days running, as Ellison reverted to the cold, hard man of old without Sandburg’s influence. Yup, only took two days without the Kid and all of Major Crime was ready to throw Ellison out of a top story window.

Oh they’d all nod in agreement with Jim that he said that he would be as good a detective without Sandburg. They’d let him reminisce on the pre-Sandburg days, but each one knew they’d never trade the bouncy, exuberant man for anything, Ellison was a grouch without his partner.

Sandburg seemed to bring out all the latent nice qualities that Jim possessed. And then there was the Blessed Protector thing too. Blair had mentioned and old Chinese custom and Jim seemed to take it to heart and guarded Sandburg with a ferocity that amazed outsiders. Major Crime took it in stride. Hell, we all wanted Blair protected too. We wanted the post-Sandburg Ellison on the job.

I almost lost them both, another sentinel came to town and no one knew how to deal with it. We learned almost too late. She killed Blair and Jim went into frenzy. He literally demanded that Blair live and damn if the Kid didn’t listen.

My friend, Jim Ellison, isn’t very good with personal emotional expression, so he got angry and nearly drove Sandburg away permanently.

It took the Anthropologist committing perjury and completely giving up his way of life to protect Jim for the detective of the year to figure out what was going on.

There have been few times and I mean very few times that I wished I could see a couple get together. Jim and Blair would have proved the exception. All I got was the ability to recognize the happiness that radiated from them and the constant joy that lurked in their eyes.

We all noticed the occasional love bite or debauched look after lunch but all of Major Crime protected their detective pair. Speculation runs rampant, but that has happened since the first day Sandburg joined us. I may have won the pool, but the whole crew keeps the secret.

No one can argue the fact that they are the best detectives and we want to keep it that way. I certainly do! I love having the best case closure rate in the whole damn department. And if my department is considered elite, well, they deserve it.

Now if anyone outside of Major Crimes should impugn the reputation of Detective Sandburg, well, they’ll rue the day.

Mild Joel will shred them. Connor is totally in their face. Brown’s ready to duke it out and Rhonda, well, they’ll never receive their paper work timely if at all.

Oh, and if Ellison should overhear something, well that person would be lucky to get out alive.

I hate to admit that one person can make or break the smooth running of my department, but hell, it’s true.

Blair Sandburg, long haired, hippie type and departmental glue.

^-.-^ ^-.-^


End file.
